Ice cream cones are very popular as holders for ice cream and serve as an extra treat for the purchaser of the ice cream the cones hold. There are many different types of cones, the most popular being frustroconical wafer cones, conical sugar cones, and conical waffle cones. The frustroconical wafer cones have flat, circular bottoms and steep side walls that often make the body portion of the cones look cylindrical. The sugar cones and waffle cones typically have pointed bottoms, the waffle cones having a gentler slope than sugar cones.
When one obtains a cone loaded with ice cream, the ice cream begins to melt immediately. The melt rate increases with ambient temperature, as well as with wind speed, and can get to a point that the purchaser can not prevent dripping of melted ice cream onto clothes, hands, and other surfaces, as well as runoff of melt onto the hand holding the cone and the cone itself. To combat drippings and runoff, many people wrap cones in napkins or use paper sleeves. However, the napkins and sleeves only absorb runoff and do little, if anything, to prevent dripping.
Two types of ice cream cone holder were introduced, as disclosed in U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D382,085 and D391,036, that not only acted as sleeves about cones, but included disc portions to capture drippings. The disc portions included a rim to keep captured drippings and runoff on the disc portion, enabling the capture of substantial quantities of runoff and drippings before leaking over the rim. However, in extreme cases, the melted ice cream would leak over the rim, dripping onto clothes, skin, and other surfaces.
In addition, when manufactured as disclosed in U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D382,085 and D391,036, the holders had a tendency to stick together when stacked. Thus, when an end holder was grasped and pulled, a vacuum would form, dragging one or more additional holders with the one desired.
Embodiments contemplate improved cone holders that include de-nesting formations to reduce or eliminate vacuum formation between stacked holders. Additionally, embodiments contemplate the addition of a lip around the inner periphery of the disc portion of the holders to help prevent entry of melt into the conical portion of the holders. Further, embodiments contemplate the inclusion of at least one drainage formation in the lip about the inner rim, the rim and at least one drainage formation being sized such that melt will enter the conical portion before spilling over the rim on the outer periphery of the disc portion.